WCC and Ecumenical Leaders give full support to UN Secretary-General

The World Council of Churches (WCC) and the General Secretaries of eight separate regional ecumenical bodies have come together to draw up a letter to the United Nations secretary-general, Kofi Annan. The letter expressed once again the deep desire of their organisations and member churches “to support the United Nations” and the person of its secretary-general “at this time on the world scene.”

The letter was sent from Nairobi, Kenya on 4th September and stated, “We believe that the UN remains the indispensable instrument of the nations of the world if they are to remove the scourge of war from the earth and to establish the conditions for peace, notably: observance of human rights, a just sharing of the earth's resources, eliminating poverty and all forms of discrimination."

The regional ecumenical bodies that the general secretaries were representing were from Europe, America, Canada, Africa, Middle-East, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Pacific and the WCC.

In the letter it was particularly highlighted that the organisations thought that the UN secretary-general deserved “deep respect and trust” from the organisations constituencies. Annan was also assured that he would receive the “spiritual support” and “prayers of countless people of faith and goodwill around the world.”

Among other things expressed in the letter, it was also suggested that “the inherited structures of governance of the UN do not adequately reflect the present realities and needs of the world as a whole,” particularly for “many peoples and nations, especially outside Europe and North America.”

It also stated that the 60th anniversary of the UN presented an opportunity to appraise its role since the Second World War and to make “an examination of how it can be adapted to fulfil more effectively its role in a world which has changed so much in sixty years.”



For a copy of the letter in full please go to:
Letter from Regional Ecumenical Organisations